National Games 2025: Gurmeet Singh's 20km race walk record breaks, six athletes surpass after 14 years

Servin Sebastian sets new record in 20km race walk at National Games 2025.

History was created in the race walk event of athletics in the National Games 2025 going on in Uttarakhand, as the long-standing record in the men’s 20km race walk was shattered after 14 years. In 2011, Gurmeet Singh of Jharkhand had set the National Games record by completing the race in 1 hour 23 minutes, and 26 seconds, a benchmark that was surpassed by six Indian athletes this time.

Leading the way, Servin Sebastian (Services) set a new national sports record by clocking 1 hour 21 minutes and 23 seconds. Sebastian (Services) clocked 1 hour 21 minutes and 23 seconds, setting a new National Games record. In addition, Suraj Panwar (Uttarakhand), Amanjot Singh (Punjab), Paramjit Singh (Services), Ram Babu (Uttar Pradesh), and Mukesh Nitharwal (Rajasthan) also finished with better timings than Gurmeet Singh’s 2011 record.

Broken Records and New Timings:

• Servin Sebastian (Services) – 1:21:23 (New National Games Record)
• Suraj Panwar (Uttarakhand) – 1:21:34
• Amanjot Singh (Punjab) – 1:21:42
• Paramjit Singh (Services) – 1:22:02
• Ram Babu (Uttar Pradesh) – 1:22:26
• Mukesh Nitharwal (Rajasthan) – 1:22:52

Breaking a 14-year-old record by six athletes simultaneously has infused new energy into Indian athletics. This feat not only reflects the enhanced fitness and technical progress of Indian racewalkers but also signals the country’s growing stature in international competitions.

New Record in Women’s 10km Race Walk

Along with the men’s event, the women’s 10km race walk also witnessed a National Games record being broken. The previous record of 51 minutes 56 seconds, set by Y. Bala Devi of Manipur in 2023, was surpassed by nine athletes. Haryana’s Raveena claimed the gold medal with a new record time of 45 minutes 52 seconds.

This performance highlights the continuous improvement of Indian athletes and serves as a promising indicator of India’s strong presence in international athletics in the coming years.

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